Return-torpedo.



G. P. JOHNSON.

RETURN TORPEDO.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 16. 1915.

1 152 40 Panented Sept. 7, 1915.

UNTTED @TATES PATENT OFFICE.

GARRETT P. JOHNSON, OF ROCHESTER, NEW YORK. i

RETURN-TORPEDO.

Application filed January 16 1915. Serial No. 2,693.

To aZZ whom it may concern Be it known that I, GARRETT P. JOHNSON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Rochester, in the county of Monroe and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Return- Torpedoes, of which the following is a specispaced relation with the cap, or set so that the cap may be readily inserted and. removed without danger of beingfired by contact with the firing pin and without the necessity of manually holding the firing pin raised. I

A. further object of the invention isto so construct the firing chamber that a detonated cap may be readily blown out.

Still another object is to so construct the torpedo that the parts thereof may be readily assembled or disassembled.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, wherein Figure 1 is a view showing my device in use; Fig. 2 is a vertical section of the torpedo; Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line of Fig. 2; Fig. 4: is a top plan View of the cap 7; Fig. 5 is a side elevation.

Referring to these figures, 2 designates the globular body of the torpedo, which is preferably of metal, and has a rounded exterior surface and a relatively contracted neck 3. This neck is bored for the reception of the firing pin 4:. The interior of the body 2 is hollow to provide a firing chamber 5 for the cap and a recess 6 for the reception of the head of the firing pin 4. Disposed upon the neck 3 andattached thereto in any suitable manner is the cap 7, this cap having a central opening for the firing pin and being provided with the marginal flange 8 through which screws or other fastening devices 9 pass which act to hold the cap in engage ment with the neck. The upper face of the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 7, 19 15.-

cap is formed with a central aperture 1O for a i the reception of the firing pin, as illustrated in Fig. 4 and is likewise formed with oppositely disposed notches 11 disposed in diametrically opposite relation and extending from the central opening 10. The end walls of these notches are downwardly and centrally beveled as at 12. The firing pin is transversely bored for the reception of a ring 13 which is of such size that normally the ring rests upon the end Walls 12 of the notches, as shown clearly in Fig. 2.

It will be noted that the exterior of the lower end of the globular body is rounded so that the torpedo will be actuated even though it is inclined to the vertical when it strikes and causes the detonation of the cap, and also that the bottom of the body be tween the floor or seat 14: and the exterior rounded surface of the body is relatively thick and heavy so that it will not be deformed by striking an object and will withstand repeated impacts. p

The firing pin is urged downward against the seat 14: for the cap by means of a spring 15 which surrounds the firing pin and bears at its forward end against the head, the up-- per and of the spring bearing against the cap b The body 2 is formed with oppositely disposed slots 16 to permit the insertion of a cap into the firing chamber and the removal of a detonated cap therefrom.

Attached to the ring 13 is a cord or other flexible connection 17, which is preferably of rubber or like flexible material, this cord terminating in a finger ring 18.

Of course the manner of using the device is obvious from what has gone before. The firing pin is raised against the force of the spring 15 and a cap is inserted upon the seat 14. The spring is then allowed to carry the firing pin downward so that the head of the firing pin will contact with the detonating cap and hold it in place upon the seat 14:. Upon the impact of the body 2 against a wall, pavement or other hard object the cap will be exploded by the impact of the firing pin, the inertia of the head of thefiring pin acting to explode the cap between the head and the thickened lower end of the body portion. The firing pin will then be raised and the detonated cap readily blown out through the slots 16. It will be obvious that with my construction the firing pin may be raised entirely from contact with the cap seat by pulling it upward against the force of the spring 15 and then rotating it so as to dispose the ring at right angles to ,the line of the notches 11. At this time, therefore, the cap may be readily blown out and a new cap inserted, or the firing pin held entirely out of action, ifdesired to do so. By rotating the firing pin into position so that the ring 13 may be lowered into the notches 11, the firing pin will be brought into operative position upon the cap.

formed with a slot for the insertion and removal of a detonating cap, and means for holding the firing pin raised against the force of the spring, said means being rendered operative or inoperative upon a rotation of the firing pin around its longitudinal axis to predetermined positions.

2. A torpedo of the character described including a hollowglobular body having a bored neck formed with oppositely disposed slots intersecting the hollow interior of the body, a firing pin having a shank disposed within the bore of the body, a ring attached to the extremity of the shank, a spring surrounding the shank and urging the firing pin downward, a cap removably disposed upon the neck of the body and having a central bore for the firing pin, and radiallyextending notches to accommodate the ring on the end of the firing pin, the firing pin and ring being rotatable to carry the ring out of the notches to thereby hold the firing pin raised against the force of the spring.

3. In a torpedo of the character described, a hollow body having a firing chamber open at one end, a cap mounted upon the body and closing said end, a spring actuated firing pin disposed in the body and having a shank extending through said cap, the body being formed with a slot for the insertion and removal of a detonating cap, and means for holding the firing pin raised against the force of said spring, said means being rendered operative or inoperative by a relative rotation of the firing pin and the i. A torpedo having a hollow body formed with a rounded lower end, and an interior chamber defined by a surrounding wall, the floor of the chamber being relatively thick and the wall of the chamber having radially disposed slots on a level with the lower end of the chamber, a firing pinreciprocatively disposed within the chamber, and a flexible connection extending through the firing pin.

5. A torpedo including a hollow bodv nclosing a firing chamber, the bottom of the chamber forming a seat for a detonating cap, the body having slots for the insertion and removal of said cap, a firing pin disposed in the chamber and having an enlarged head and a relatively small shank, a cap detachably engaging the upper end of the body and extending over the end of the body and having an opening for the passage oi the shank smaller than the head, and a flexible connection extending from the firing chamber.

In testimony whereof I hereunto afiix my signature in GARRETT P. JOHNSON.

Witnesses:

LILLY M. BOLTON, DAVID J. BOLTON.

Conies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G.

the presence of two witnesses. V 

